Wind And Sea
by Turretwithaview
Summary: Some Caskett moments at the Hamptons
1. Memories

**Memories**

Kate leant her arms on the railing and drew in a deep breath, the salt-laden air incredibly refreshing and enticing after months of breathing New York's traffic-saturated version. She can hear him moving round inside the house, probably preparing breakfast for twelve! How she was expected to keep her figure with the pancake stacks he produced each morning was beyond her, just as well they were headed back to the Big Apple tomorrow … well, ok, maybe another week, or another month of this quiet luxury wouldn't come amiss, especially now that Chief Brady had the real perp in jail, Kate was no longer being regarded as a dubious member of Hampton's society and they'd had two days with no more bodies dropping into the pool … not to mention that she and Rick had barely left their bed during that time.

She heard the door sliding open behind her and felt him lean over into her back, sliding his hands round her waist and leaning down to place a kiss on her neck.

"_How would you like to take a walk on the beach before breakfast?_"

Straightening up she turned within his arms and pulled his head down till their lips met in a gentle kiss, then a second and third one before she stepped out of his embrace and held her hand out to him. They walked around to the steps, went down them and across the lawn to the beach below. The breeze picked at her dress, pushing the cloth against her legs and then flicking it to one side again before repeating the process. The water lapped at the sand, white tongues of foam rushing up the beach, curling round their ankles before pulling back again in readiness for the next assault.

The sun was warm on her face, the water cool on her feet and the gentle swishing and gurgling of the sea a balm to her ears. She felt him run a finger down the side of her face to pull an errant strand of hair from her mouth and tuck it behind her ear, she knew the breeze wouldn't allow it to remain there for long, but couldn't resist smiling at him for his consideration.

A touch of colour in the sand drew her attention and she bent down to pluck the shell from its semi-internment and rinsed it in the next onrush of water. The brilliantly mottled blues and greens of the abalone shell sparkled in the sunlight, a shimmering show of colour captured and frozen in time. He'd come to a stop next to her and watched her in appreciation, her actions reminding him of those long ago beach walks with his daughter and her delight in discovering a shell or some weirdly shaped drift wood.

A few steps further on and the oval shape a surf clam protruded from the bubbling edge of water. Without even waiting for her tug on his hand, he stopped, a knowing grin on his face, as she bent to down, glancing up at him with a smile.

They walked along the beach for almost a mile, Kate pausing occasionally to prise a shell from the sand before rinsing it and handing it to him to hold in his free hand. They talked about their return to the City, how they would deal with this still new situation. He got a Beckett Glare when she warned him about any slip-ups in front of the boys … unfortunately, the breeze chose that moment to whip some hair across her face and by the time he'd tucked it back behind her ear and bent down to kiss her, she couldn't quite remember where she'd got to in her warning … not to mention that right now her mind couldn't really hold on to anything other than his eyes and his lips and his leaning in to give her another kiss …

They turned back towards the house, still holding hands, Rick with his free hand to his chest as it cradled over a dozen shells. Kate was now on his right, swinging their hands gently back and forth as she hummed a tune he didn't recognise but was quite happy to listen to. The breeze was gently blowing in their faces, tugging the loose strands of her hair over her shoulder and pressing the thin material of her dress to her body.

She was aware of his hot glances but chose to ignore them, hiding her grin behind her humming of Emo Side Project's Walking on the beach. The lapping water was soaking the bottom of his trouser legs, but he seemed oblivious to it.

As she reached the third verse of the song, she couldn't resist singing the words, quietly, so that he'd have to lean in to hear them she sang …

_"A seagull just flew by_

_ and it pooped in my eye_

_You stood laughing by_

_Your smile it makes me die"_

… and she had to stop as he burst out laughing.

Making their way back to the house, he paused on the terrace to place the shells on the table so the sun could dry them out and he couldn't help glancing at her as she stood in the doorway smiling at him and saying "_I think maybe breakfast can wait_ .."


	2. Message In A Bottle

**Message In A Bottle**

Kate was walking along the beach, allowing the brittle spring sunshine to warm her skin, appreciating the fact that the wind blowing along the east coast yesterday had calmed to a barely perceptible breeze today. It was their second trip to the Hamptons, they hadn't made it back since the previous summer, the Thanksgiving trip put off because of her work and then they'd decided to spend Christmas and New Year in the loft what with Alexis having her own arrangements and both she and Castle wanting to have the boys and Lanie round for the parties and her own crazy schedule … but now they could have a long weekend to themselves and where better than here.

Kate had left him downstairs organizing everything, whilst she had gone upstairs, changed into a pair of craghoppers, a lose T-shirt and a thin sweater before heading back down. Giving Rick a kiss, she'd told him she was just going to take a walk along the beach to get the cricks from the drive out of her body. He'd nodded to her, given her a kiss and smacked her ass as she'd walked past him. She'd decided to let it go for the moment; she'd give him some of his own medicine back later.

Now she was heading back to the house and could make him out, standing on the edge of the lawn above the beach, hands in pockets and watching her as she approached. There was no need to wave, they both knew the other was totally aware of their presence.

She was only a few yards away when a glint on the water caught her eye. Turning she saw a bottle tossing about in the wavelets at the water's edge. Rolling the legs of her pants up to her knees, she stepped into the water, hissing as the cold hit her.

Pulling the bottle up she saw a roll of paper inside it … she also saw a string tied around its neck and looping suspiciously towards the beach. She felt a tug on the string and moving back out of the water, she unscrewed the top before tipping the bottle upside down and allowing the scroll to slide into her waiting hand.

There was a ring of paper holding the scroll in a tight twist, so she slipped the bottle under her arm and pulled the scroll from its ring. Unfurling it she turned her back to the breeze and looked down at the familiar writing, a smile curling her lips.

* * *

_To the beautiful woman who will hopefully find this:_

_###_

_I watch as you walk down the beach,_

_My heart misses a beat, probably more,_

_As distance pulls you out of my reach._

_#_

_Your hair in the wind, footsteps in the sand,_

_They remind me of the chaos in my life,_

_Until you walked into it and held my hand._

_#_

_I watch you as you turn back, small and far away,_

_Yet so recognisable, so beautiful, so you_

_My heart quickens as I see you come home today._

_#_

_The sparkle in your eyes chase away my fears,_

_Tell me my dreams have come true_

_That I have all I need in your love so sincere._

_#_

_And so, most beautiful lady on the beach,_

_Allow me to ask you out for dinner tonight,_

_For your presence leaves me without speech._

_#_

_PS. Sorry for the horrible poetry, but I couldn't concentrate with your lovely body 'sauntering' along the sand!_

* * *

She looks up at him, the sun casting shadows on his face, yet the glint in his eyes unmistakable, warming her even when she feels she can't be warmed further. There's a gentle tug on the string attached to the bottle still clamped between her arm and side. She takes a step forward and sees the string looping up the beach to where he is standing. Another tug and she takes a further step towards him.

She rolls up the paper, slips its ring back on and carefully slides it back into the bottle before holding it tightly between both hands close to her chest. Another tug, another step and she's managed to get her breathing back under control, though she's still having to blink to keep the tears at bay.

Only a foot separates them now, still not a word ushered between them, though their eyes are saying everything their lips aren't. A final, gentle tug on the string and she's falling forwards into his arms, bottle still firmly clutched to her heart as his lips find hers and she gasps a _yes_ into mouth.


	3. Portrait of Love

**Portrait of Love**

She was about to open the door when he called out, stopping her. Key in hand she turned on the porch, carrier bags bumping against her thigh as she raised her eyebrows at him. He was hurrying up to her, cases in hand, a sudden desperate look on his face.

As he arrived panting at her side she looked at him, hiding her amusement and using her best cop voice, "_You got a lady friend hidden in there Castle?_"

The look he gave her was a mix of hurt, outrage and denial, each trying to outdo the other. She decided to let him off the hook, leaning forwards and kissing him before smiling at him and telling him she was only joking, He huffed at her, then grudgingly grinned, "_Ok, promise you won't look or go into the bedroom until I say so?_"

She looked at him, suspiciously now. What has he been up to that she's not supposed to see unsupervised, she wonders? He'd come up last week telling her he wanted to check that everything was ok before they came up for summer and she'd taken it at face value, missing him that night, finding the bed just a bit empty without him there, though she'd never tell him. And now it would appear that he'd been up to something … and again, though she had no intention of letting him know, she was excited to find out just what he's done. After a year and a half together she had no doubt that he had some surprise planned for her, but what? Had he painted the bedroom? Bought a waterbed? Stuck Jabba the Hut by the bed …

He was standing there waiting for her promise, so she said, "_All right … promise not to go upstairs till you say so_". The beaming look he gave her was worth it as he leant forward to brush his lips against hers, she could already see he was excited, her kid on a sugar rush as he waited impatiently for her to unlock the door.

He was crowding her as he followed her into the hallway, cases bumping her calves and his breath tickling the back of her neck … she forewent the eye roll and opted for a shake of the head, it was pointless trying to get him to give her space at times like these … and to be honest the pros far outweighed the cons!

They left the cases at the bottom of the stairs and he took the carrier bags off her as they headed for the kitchen. It took them about ten minutes to put the food away, open the doors onto the terrace and for Kate to slap his groping hands away from her every time they came close to each other. At the third attempt she turned, giving him a full Beckett Glare and saying "_Castle! You are not getting your hands on me until you tell me exactly what you've done!_"

He pouted, his 'little boy' face belied by the twinkle in his eyes. She stood there, hands on hips, eyebrows raised and waited him out. He gave up, letting out a huff and shrugging his shoulders, unable to keep up the pretence any longer. Holding out his hand he waited till she placed hers in it and gave a gentle tug, feeling her move towards him.

He led her out to the hallway and up the stairs until they reached the closed bedroom door.

Turning towards her, he said "_Ok, close your eyes and promise you won't open them till I say so _.."

She looked at him speculatively, watching him begin to bounce on his toes, incapable of standing still. "_Rick, if you are about to do something dumbass, I promise I will head downstairs, pick up my bag and head back to New York!_"

He gulped, lost a little colour and vigorously shook his head, "_I promise it's not dumbass … at least _I_ don't think it is .._" he finished slightly doubtfully.

"_Ok Castle, lead the way then_" and she dutifully closed her eyes. She heard him open the bedroom door before he moved to her side, slipped his arm around her waist and guided her in.

She felt him lead her to the right, round the driftwood table and bed which she assumed were still occupying the centre of the room. He turned her and pushed her back slightly until she felt the bed at the back of her knees ... _if he was thinking of getting a quickie _…

"_Ok, just sit down, almost there_ .." as he eased her down onto the bed. She felt him sit down next to her and put his arm round her shoulders, giving her a squeeze before saying, "_Ok, Kate, open your eyes_ .."

She did … looking at the unlit fireplace before her, the anchor and the banked up sand, the mottled tiling … then her eyes were drawn upwards, to the wall above … and her mouth dropped open.

Hanging on the wall above the fireplace was a large oil painting, the scene obviously of the beach below the house, waves curling in on the sand, the blue sea stretching away to meet the sky on the horizon. In the foreground, her breeze-blown white dress curling round her figure, hat held in her hand and smiling upwards at her was her own face, full of love and joy.

It took her a few moments to remember, it had been the last day at the house the previous summer and she'd gone for a quick walk whilst Rick had loaded the car up. As she'd made her way back towards the house she'd seen him standing up on the lawn, iPhone in hand … it must have been the picture he'd taken then that he'd had turned into this painting.

Turning her head she looked at him, his anxious expression more than she could take. Leaning in she placed her lips to his, her tongue pushing his apart, diving in to try and share the emotions he'd made well up inside her.

"_So …_" he managed to utter as they pulled apart to grab some air, "… _you like?_"

She had to wait till they pulled apart a second time, bodies sprawled back on the bed, her own eyes looking down at him as she bared her soul to him "_I like_" she whispered.


	4. Great Balls of ice

**Great balls of …. Ice**

Autumn had come late this year, but when it _had_ arrived it had done so with a vengeance. New York had been cold, windswept and snowbound where the ploughs had not been able to go, power cuts were hitting the city as the unexpected cold front had increased the demand and the antiquated network had failed on numerous occasions.

So he'd suggested they head up here for the week as Kate was due four days leave plus the weekend and as he's put it, they might as well freeze up here as in the city. Initially she'd been reluctant, but the arrival of Alexis and Pi at the loft, their building`s electrical installation incapable of coping with the weather and the two red-nosed popsicles looking pitifully at them had tipped the balance.

One look at Castle's face and she'd agreed to the two of them coming out here and leaving the loft to the Fruitsicles; hopefully by the time they returned, the city would be back to normal and the Fruitsicles could go back to being mere Smoothies.

As she clumped up the steps to the front door, boots depositing lumps of snow and hands rubbing together to try and get some circulation going, she could hear Rick closing the car's boot behind her.

She was about to pull her woolly hat off when she heard him call her and turned round at the top of the steps. _Thwack!_

She stood there mouth open in shock as the snow slid down her face, her already chilled nose and cheeks insensitive to the packed crystals slowly making their way downwards and dropping … plop! … splat! … onto her ski jacket.

Kate blinked once, twice, trying to change her focus from a cross-eyed stare at the lump of snow stuck to the bridge of her nose to a focused glare at her fiancée, currently standing by the side of the car, mittened knuckle clamped between his teeth and a half laughing, half scared look on his face.

The last lump of snow reluctantly parted company with her nose, dropped onto her jacket and slid down to land with an almost silent splat on the toe of her boot. Her eyes, having followed its trip downwards, once again slowly rose to focus on Castle, whose eyebrows were nervously twitching and whose hands were slowly scooping up some more snow from the driveway.

Eyebrows almost reaching her hairline, she ever so slowly took a first step back down, then a second, watching him as a grin began to spread across his face, her own face reluctantly following suit. She slowly shook her head at him … he … really … should … not … have … done … that.

She's scooping up a ball of snow and keeping an eye on him, ready to dodge if he throws one at her.

He's waiting for her, keeping the car between them, grinning in anticipation. Now she's standing, hand holding a ball of snow and she's stalking him, moving round to his left so he'll have to turn his body towards her if he wants to be able to hit her with his right-handed throw.

He jumps to one side, pulls back his hand and throws the snowball at her. She ducks, the snowball sails clear over her head and she's taken a step towards him before flinging her own missile.

He dodges, but she's been sneaky and she's suddenly tossing another one at him left handed. It hits him on the chest, splatters some snow into his face but he's running round the other side of the car, crouching down and grabbing some snow to make a double-whammy-sized snowball.

He stands up, ready to dodge and looks over the top of the car for her, she's nowhere in sight, he panics, looks around behind him, she's not there ... where the hell?

Suddenly she's coming at him from the rear of the car and he's desperately trying to line up a shot. Before he can turn enough though, her snow ball hits him right on the forehead and then she's piling into him, knocking him over into the snow and she's straddling him, grabbing more snow and pushing it down the collar of his jacket, making him yell as it finds the warmth of his neck, and then he's rolled her over and has her pinned underneath him, rucking the bottom of her ski jacket up, yanking her sweater and shirt clear as she desperately tries to squirm out from under him, but now he's bared her midriff and he's scooping snow up, making _her_ squeal now as the cold snow land on her belly button. They're soon panting for breath, laughing and trying weakly to bury the other in the snow.

He pauses, grinning down at his green-eyed soul mate, "_How about we move this into the house before one or both of us ends up with frostbite where neither wants it?_"

She laughs pulling his head down and whispering into his ear, "_Ok, but you're going to have to carry me indoors and apply some heat therapy to some very cold spots!_"


End file.
